FRESH FROM A Wednesday taping of Good Morning America, Michael Strahan heads to downtown Manhattan cradling two leather watch cases in the crook of his left arm, like he's just recovered a fumble. Embossed with his initials, MAS, each holds four watches worth nearly $1 million in total. "I just grabbed a bunch," Strahan says of his collection, which includes some 40 watches, including Audemars Piguet, De Bethune, Hublot and plenty of Rolex Daytonas.
"A Daytona was my first big watch purchase when I came to the NFL. If it says Rolex Daytona on it, I have it," he says. "I think it's like me: durable, sustainable and versatile."
At 53, Strahan has certainly stood the test of time. He spent 15 years (19932007) as a defensive end for the New York Giants, becoming one of the most dominant pass rushers in history. In 2014, seven years after helping the Giants win Super Bowl XLII, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Going pro was never a given for Strahan, who was born in Houston but grew up in Germany, where his father was a major in the Army's 82nd Airborne Division. "I was hoping just to have a job when I got out of college," he says of his years at Texas Southern University, where he followed in his uncle's cleats as a star defensive end.
That mentality has clearly stayed with him since he hung up his helmet in 2008. He joined the Fox NFL Sunday team immediately after, and in 2012, he beat out an all-star roster of talent to become cohost of Live! with Kelly Ripa.
Four years later, he landed his current role as a cohost of Good Morning America and added a side hustle as host of The $100,000 Pyramid. All told, Forbes estimates that his TV work earns Strahan at least $20 million a year, considerably more than the $6.9 million he averaged on the field for his final ten seasons with the Giants.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1369322608/1733729030/articles/A8Xb1FXwH1733823548469/9318067330.jpg]
"I never expected my career to be what it has been, or continues to be, at all," Strahan says, wearing a $76,000 "John Mayer" Rolex (page 60). "I always liked nice things, but I never knew I'd be able to afford a lot of nice things. It's given me an appreciation for what I have because I know what it's like to always want something and not be able to have it." In addition to his watch collectionwhich Forbes estimates is worth some $2 million-Strahan also collects cars and spirits, but he says watches are "like artworks" that also measure success. "If you've ever gone to a factory to see how a watch is built, you see how much craftsmanship and precision goes into it. There's so much thought that goes into making these things that we just throw on our wrist."
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1369322608/1733729030/articles/A8Xb1FXwH1733823548469/3886336189.jpg]
For instance, when Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin invited Strahan to travel to space in 2021, he wore two timepieces with celestial significance: a $44,600 Rolex GMT-Master II with a meteorite dial and a $125,000 Star Trek-inspired De Bethune watch. "Someone might say, 'Well, I have this electronic watch, it keeps the same time," he says. "Yeah, it keeps the same time-but it doesn't have any kind of personality to it. And to me, a watch is about personality."
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1369322608/1733729030/articles/A8Xb1FXwH1733823548469/3119839360.jpg]
Time In
Strahan's watch collection includes a Gerald Charles Maestro 8.0, a Rolex Oyster Perpetual 41 with a Celebration dial and a Patek Philippe Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph.
He applies that philosophy to giving watches as well. A few years ago, he presented Constance Schwartz-Morini, cofounder of his talent and production company, Smac Entertainment, with a Rolex Oyster Perpetual with a yellow dial, calling her "the sunshine in my life."
Schwartz-Morini met Strahan while working for the NFL's marketing team. She then moved into talent ma...
"A Daytona was my first big watch purchase when I came to the NFL. If it says Rolex Daytona on it, I have it," he says. "I think it's like me: durable, sustainable and versatile."
At 53, Strahan has certainly stood the test of time. He spent 15 years (19932007) as a defensive end for the New York Giants, becoming one of the most dominant pass rushers in history. In 2014, seven years after helping the Giants win Super Bowl XLII, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Going pro was never a given for Strahan, who was born in Houston but grew up in Germany, where his father was a major in the Army's 82nd Airborne Division. "I was hoping just to have a job when I got out of college," he says of his years at Texas Southern University, where he followed in his uncle's cleats as a star defensive end.
That mentality has clearly stayed with him since he hung up his helmet in 2008. He joined the Fox NFL Sunday team immediately after, and in 2012, he beat out an all-star roster of talent to become cohost of Live! with Kelly Ripa.
Four years later, he landed his current role as a cohost of Good Morning America and added a side hustle as host of The $100,000 Pyramid. All told, Forbes estimates that his TV work earns Strahan at least $20 million a year, considerably more than the $6.9 million he averaged on the field for his final ten seasons with the Giants.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1369322608/1733729030/articles/A8Xb1FXwH1733823548469/9318067330.jpg]
"I never expected my career to be what it has been, or continues to be, at all," Strahan says, wearing a $76,000 "John Mayer" Rolex (page 60). "I always liked nice things, but I never knew I'd be able to afford a lot of nice things. It's given me an appreciation for what I have because I know what it's like to always want something and not be able to have it." In addition to his watch collectionwhich Forbes estimates is worth some $2 million-Strahan also collects cars and spirits, but he says watches are "like artworks" that also measure success. "If you've ever gone to a factory to see how a watch is built, you see how much craftsmanship and precision goes into it. There's so much thought that goes into making these things that we just throw on our wrist."
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1369322608/1733729030/articles/A8Xb1FXwH1733823548469/3886336189.jpg]
For instance, when Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin invited Strahan to travel to space in 2021, he wore two timepieces with celestial significance: a $44,600 Rolex GMT-Master II with a meteorite dial and a $125,000 Star Trek-inspired De Bethune watch. "Someone might say, 'Well, I have this electronic watch, it keeps the same time," he says. "Yeah, it keeps the same time-but it doesn't have any kind of personality to it. And to me, a watch is about personality."
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1369322608/1733729030/articles/A8Xb1FXwH1733823548469/3119839360.jpg]
Time In
Strahan's watch collection includes a Gerald Charles Maestro 8.0, a Rolex Oyster Perpetual 41 with a Celebration dial and a Patek Philippe Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph.
He applies that philosophy to giving watches as well. A few years ago, he presented Constance Schwartz-Morini, cofounder of his talent and production company, Smac Entertainment, with a Rolex Oyster Perpetual with a yellow dial, calling her "the sunshine in my life."
Schwartz-Morini met Strahan while working for the NFL's marketing team. She then moved into talent ma...
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Forbes (Digital) - 1 Issue, December 2024/January 2025